Despite some promise, a basic income is politically impossible

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John McDonnell: for a supposedly radical thinker, he’s late to the UBI partyCredit:
Aaron Chown/PA

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell says Labour might introduce a universal basic income (UBI) pilot in its next manifesto. For a supposedly radical thinker, he’s late to this party. The idea of a fixed-sum unconditional government cash transfer to all adults is now the most conventional of blue-sky thinking. In one form or another, it has been advocated by everyone from the late free-market economist Milton Friedman to the Green Party; from the Adam Smith Institute to Ed Miliband.

Only the gold standard or a land value tax are comparable in the way UBI’s zealots believe this one policy would sweep away most economic ills.

We are told poverty would be eliminated, job-killing automation protected...